WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The advent of network-centric technologies offers enormous improvement in useful information available to command and control (C2) and warfighter participants in both hostile battlefield and peace-keeping situations. AFRL is addressing the problem of affordably integrating current and future systems into the battlefield infosphere.
AFRL and Boeing are pursuing an initiative called the Insertion of Embedded Infosphere Support Technology (IEIST). The premise of IEIST is to develop concepts allowing current and future platforms, such as tactical strike fighters, to become clients of the Global Information Grid (GIG). IEIST demonstrates technologies that efficiently express the information needs and collection capabilities of each platform and also links each platform with corresponding information sources and destinations throughout the GIG.
In providing weapon systems with access to global information and allowing users to coordinate and pair these systems with time-critical targets to better leverage capabilities, IEIST offers two unique technical innovations: the Force Template (FT) and the Guardian Agent (GA). FTs characterize weapon systems and enable a standard means for weapon systems to communicate with GIG elements. The FT "knows" the particular details of its corresponding weapon system, recognizing such aspects as weapon load, available fuel, location, operational capabilities, crew experience, and interface requirements. The GA resides off the aircraft, adding capability to the weapon system without straining available onboard resources. Essentially, a weapon system's FT creates its unique GA.
The GA reviews, filters, and formats information that is relevant to the warfighter. It also publishes time-critical, warfighter-discovered information to the C2. The FT provides a vehicle for characterizing legacy warfighting systems and enhancing their potential for meaningful participation in network-centric engagements. For information flowing from the platform, the GA provides a bridge to publish platform data to the infosphere. Such information could include mission updates, weapon status, and/or other platform state data or state changes. The GA's knowledge of its mission platform includes the mission route; therefore, for each sensor report it receives, the GA is able to make evaluations based on the route and signature of the platform.